This week we welcome back one of our favorite medical contributors and epidemiology of infectious disease expert, Dr. Alan P. Zelicoff MD. Dr. Zelicoff has been educating the IAQ Radio+ audience about biological weapons and infectious diseases since 2008. The first show we did in 2008 was on Microbes: Are We Ready for the Next Plague, followed by shows on Ebola, H1N1 and COVID-19.
What progress are we making on treatments?
We don’t have anything close to the efficacy of penicillin. Treating viruses is hard because it’s hard to get stuff into viral cells. In intensive care patients, the combination of Remdesivir and steroids have lowered mortality rates by 30%. For pre-hospitalization cases IV drugs are available. IV drugs are costly and hard to administer in long term facilities.
In your opinion where and how did the virus originate?
The virus originated in bats. Labs doing viral research would likely have the virus in their collection.
Is supplemental oxygen beneficial?
Supplemental O² reduces hospitalizationrates.
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